U.S. Pat. No. 6,118,842 discloses a dual purpose X-ray imaging apparatus capable of partial CT imaging and panoramic tomographic imaging.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,619,839 discloses an X-ray object positioning apparatus for use in X-ray imaging apparatuses, wherein a relative positional relation between an object model and an imaging target area index, both displayed on a display, conforms with a relative positional relation between an object and an X-ray imaging target area moved by an imaging position moving apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,170,968 discloses a CT scanning system that includes a source and a detector mounted to a C-arm. A computer controls the rotation of a CT scanner and an X-ray source, and collects the data from the detector to create an image. The CT scanner first takes a scout scan prior to the full acquisition of the data. The scout scan is a single two-dimension image. The CPU draws locating marks on the scout scan image to indicate the desired location. When proper alignment is verified, the processor then controls the motor to perform one complete revolution of the C-arm, during which time the computer collects multiple images from the detector.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/083,777 discloses a panoramic imaging apparatus which is able to freely display a focus-optimized internal structural image of the tooth row depending on a position using image data acquired by only one-time X-ray panoramic imaging from an arbitrary section along a patient's tooth row.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/806,694 discloses a medical X-ray apparatus including a supporting part for supporting an X-ray generator and a two-dimensional X-ray detector while interposing an object to be examined therebetween, a radiation area restricting part for restricting a radiation area of X-ray generated from the X-ray generator, and a scan driving part for scanning the object with the X-ray restricted by the radiation area restricting part as X-ray beam and for executing radiography. A direction intersecting with X-ray scan direction is defined as a height direction. The apparatus further includes a radiation area setting part for setting at least one of both ends of width of the X-ray beam in the height direction at a desired position in accordance with the position of an interested area of the object. The X-ray beam is irradiated only to the radiation area as set by the radiation area setting part with its beam width in height direction restricted by the radiation area restricting part.